


Into the Woods

by AnaliseGrey



Series: Along the Way [8]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Blood and Gore, Caleb!Whump, M/M, Whump, and more than a little fucked up, field medicine, magical healing is kind of weird guys, whump prompts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-07
Updated: 2019-01-07
Packaged: 2019-10-06 08:57:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17342432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnaliseGrey/pseuds/AnaliseGrey
Summary: Things weren’t looking great, if he was going to be honest with himself.Molly listened, straining to hear if the men that had been pursuing them were nearby, and to his immense relief didn’t hear anything. His relief was short-lived as a groan came from beneath him; Caleb was waking up.





	Into the Woods

**Author's Note:**

> Based on [this Tumblr post](http://the-wandering-whumper.tumblr.com/post/180072623976/tat-desperate-carer-trying-to-keep-the-whumpee).

Things weren’t looking great, if he was being honest with himself.

Molly listened, straining to hear if the men pursuing them were nearby, and to his immense relief didn’t hear anything. His relief was short-lived as a groan came from beneath him; Caleb was waking up.

The Nein had been overwhelmed by unusually-organized bandits, the combination of actual tactics and sheer numbers quickly turning the tide against their smaller group. Fjord had called for them to retreat, and in the ensuing chaos Molly and Caleb had been separated off. Molly had gotten the semi-conscious Caleb leaned against a large partially-hollowed tree, and all Molly could do was hope that the bandits didn’t come their way. He could probably fight some of them, but Caleb- Caleb was in no shape to fight.

Molly looked down and swallowed his dismay at the amount of red soaking through Caleb’s shirt; the wizard had taken a number of crossbow bolts before they’d run, and Molly cringed at the shafts still sticking out of Caleb’s belly and chest. He had a potion he could give Caleb, but the bolts needed to come out first. Hopefully he could manage before the bandits caught up.

“Molly-” Whatever Caleb was about to say was cut off by a pained noise as he tried to sit up, his face going sheet-white.

“Stay still, I’m going to help you but the bolts need to come out first. It’s going to hurt-”

“Do what you must.” Caleb gasped, already reaching for one of the bolts. Molly stopped him with a light touch to his wrist.

“I’ve got it, love, just- try to brace yourself. This is going to be unpleasant.”

Caleb nodded, taking a shuddering breath. Molly reached for the first bolt, but there was resistance as he pulled. He thought maybe it had struck bone and gotten stuck, and as he continued to tug with steady pressure the bolt moved, but the resistance didn’t stop.

“Moll-” Caleb’s voice was a half-contained sob, his hands reaching clumsily to Molly’s arm to stop him. “Stop, _bitte hör auf_ , a minute, please, I cannot-” Caleb’s plea bit off into a choked cry as Molly continued to pull.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t give you the potion until these are out.” Molly gave one last tug and the bolt ripped free. Caleb screamed, and Molly clapped a hand over his mouth, holding his breath, but there was no way to know if they’d been heard. He looked down at the bolt in his hand and his stomach twisted; the tip of the bolt was barbed, covered in red and bits of things he wasn’t prepared to think about. He glanced up at the other bolts, quivering where they still stuck out of Caleb’s torso like pins from a cushion. When he looked to Caleb’s face, his eyes were closed, his whole face pinched with pain and covered in a light sheen of sweat. Molly pulled his hand back and Caleb took a ragged breath, letting it out on a whine.

“Maybe we should wait for Jester-”

“Mollymauk, they need to come out.” Caleb’s voice was breathy and strained, but his eyes when he opened them again were determined. “I cannot fight like this, and if they reach us you cannot protect us both.” Caleb coughed and blood flecked worryingly at the corner of his mouth. “Do what you must. Don’t stop until they are out.”

Molly reached for the dagger at Caleb’s belt, tugging it free and setting the handle against Caleb’s lips.   
“Bite down on this. Maybe it will help.”

Caleb huffed a rueful laugh but opened his mouth so Molly could fit the handle between his teeth. Digging his fingers into the tree roots beneath him, he nodded at Molly before letting his head fall back against the tree, trying to look anywhere but down.

“Here we go.” Molly got a grip one on of the bolts and tugged, sharp and quick. As with the first, there was resistance, but Molly knew what it was this time and wasn’t deterred, pulling until the bolt came free. Molly pulled the next, and Caleb screamed again, muffled by the dagger handle. Only one more to go.

Molly was starting to worry at the blood soaking further into Caleb’s shirt, at how pale Caleb was getting. No way out but through, though.

The last bolt came out with the same sickening pull as the first few, and he thought for a moment that Caleb had passed out, but then his eyes slitted open, unfocused. He groaned around the dagger handle and reached up to get it, but wasn’t coordinated enough to manage. Molly took it from him, carefully removing it from between Caleb’s teeth and wincing in sympathy at the teeth marks in the leather-wrapped handle.

“Alright, now I can-”

There was a shout from close by, a voice they didn’t recognize, and they both froze, barely daring to breathe.

The voice was quickly joined by another and the sounds of movement through the underbrush, and getting nearer.

“C’mon, up, into the tree.” Molly grabbed at the front of Caleb’s coat, trying to get him up and moving.

“ _Was_ ?” Caleb had gone glassy-eyed, and while he wasn’t hindering Molly’s attempts, he wasn’t helping either. Molly managed to get a good hold under Caleb’s arms and _heaved_ , getting him moved part-way into the hollowed-out section of the tree. Caleb let out a strangled sound before getting with the program and trying to help, kicking at the ground to push back further into the space. By the time they got pressed as deeply into the tree as they could, they were chest-to-chest and wedged in sideways. Every breath of Caleb’s was coming out on a whimper, and Molly put a hand over Caleb’s mouth, pressing his forehead to Caleb’s. “I know, love, I know it hurts, I’m _so_ sorry, but we have to be quiet just a little longer for them to pass. Can you be quiet for me?”

Caleb shuddered but nodded, and the sounds of pain he’d been making abruptly cut off. Molly had seen Caleb be silent through some truly atrocious injuries before, and was horrified every time he witnessed it. That sort of control spoke to great strength but also to a lot of practice, and that wasn’t something Molly was very keen to dwell on.

Time passed slowly, the minutes creeping by as they waited to either be safe, or be found. Caleb started to shake under Molly’s hands, skin growing cool and clammy, but he remained resolutely silent.

Eventually, the sounds of pursuit faded, and Molly dared to poke his head out of the tree to look and listen. Quiet greeted him, silent other than the soft call of birds nearby.

“Alright, it’s safe now, I think they’ve passed us by.”

“Oh. _Gut_.” Caleb abruptly sagged, his whole body going limp as he passed out.

“ _Fuck_.” Molly scrambled to grab him, to pull him out of the tree. He got Caleb laid out on the moss next to the tree and finally uncorked the potion bottle, squeezing Caleb’s jaw open with one hand so he could pour the potion in with the other.

“Come on, come _on_ . _Heal,_ damn you.”

Another second went by before Caleb spasmed in his arms and started to sputter and cough, his eyes fluttering open, and Molly slumped over him in relief. “Oh, thank fuck.”

Caleb was still far too pale, but when Molly checked under his shirt, it looked like most of the bleeding had stopped; he was stable, if not in great shape.

“Okay. Okay-” Molly sighed, looking up and around them before looking back down at Caleb. “Time to find the others. You need more help than just that one potion can fix. Let’s get you up.” He got an arm under Caleb’s shoulders and slowly helped him up to sitting. Caleb went a shade paler, but was able to stay upright more or less on his own.

“How do you feel?”

“Like I got shot. A lot. So, not that great.”

“Yeah, okay, that’s fair. Do you think you can walk, though?”

Caleb paused, considering before reaching for Molly’s arm to steady himself as he tried to stand. “I suppose we will find out.”

“Oh for-” Molly muttered to himself as he helped Caleb get to his feet. “That’s the sort of question you’re supposed to answer _before_ you try to stand up, _idiot_ man.”

“ _Ja_ , well, hard to know until I try, eh?” The corners of Caleb’s mouth tilted up in the faintest hint of a smile, and Molly rolled his eyes before getting an arm around Caleb’s waist and tucking himself under one of Caleb’s shoulders to steady him.

“You’re not going to be so cheerful when you have to actually _do_ it.”

Caleb winced at the movement, and wrapped his free arm around himself, leaning some of his weight into Molly. “Probably not, no, but needs must.”

Molly sighed, and resituated himself to take more of Caleb’s weight. “We’ll take it easy, and if you need to stop a minute, tell me.”

“ _Ja_ , okay.”

With that, they began the slow trek back to their friends.

**Author's Note:**

>  _bitte hör auf_ \- please stop  
>  _was_ \- what  
>  _gut_ \- good
> 
> Want to flail at me, shout about Critical Role, or just say hello? Come find me on Tumblr at [Analisegrey](https://analisegrey.tumblr.com/) or on Twitter at the same handle!


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